Conventional three-point automobile seat belts are normally provided with one continuous strap and a latch plate. When the strap is pulled around the body, it essentially divides into two components, the waist strap and the shoulder strap. The latch plate fastens to a catch secured to a side of the automobile seat. When the latch plate is fastened to the catch, the waist strap is wrapped around the waist to prevent the individual from being dislodged from the seat in the event of a collision. The shoulder strap is wrapped from the side of the waist across the chest and over the opposite shoulder to prevent the individual's upper torso from being thrown forward.
Conventional automotive seat belts are well designed for use by adults of normal height. However, these seat belts are not well suited for individuals who are very short in height, especially children who have outgrown conventional restraining devices, such as car seats. When a conventional three-point seat belt is fastened in place by a child, the waist strap portion sits properly to securely hold the child's lower body in the seat. However, the shoulder strap portion will typically extend across the child's neck or face because the position of the rear delivery ring has been designed for individuals with larger torsos. This discomfort often leads to the shoulder belt being placed behind the back or worse yet, the entire belt may not be used leading to serious injury or death in a collision.
Devices which have been made for attaching to the lap belt have a hook to capture and adjust the shoulder belt. One example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,099 to Campbell. The buckle uses a one piece unit with an integral hook that connects a portion of the shoulder strap to the buckle moving the shoulder strap away from the neck and face. This, unfortunately, results in the shoulder strap base being moved from the side of the hip opposite to the supported shoulder to the hip on the same side. The shoulder belt takes a vertical rise from hip to shoulder creating imbalanced support in a collision. FIG. 1 shows how the upper torso could slip past the shoulder belt using the Campbell device.
The present invention solves this problem of slipping past the shoulder belt by adding a tether upward from an auxiliary lap belt buckle. The tether supports a shoulder belt fastening clip. The shoulder belt fastening clip pulls the shoulder belt in a compound angle away from the user's face as seen in FIG. 2. The user's upper torso is still well protected by the shoulder belt. Additionally, the shoulder belt is held flat against the user's upper torso rather than twisted sideways as with the Campbell device.